The Northwood University Fashion Showcase made a dazzling contribution to this year’s Distinguished Women Awards Gala as students coordinated a stunning display of dresses donated by prior Distinguished Women Award recipients.
“Trinity Burtch, the director of the 2025 Northwood University Fashion Showcase, led an effort to collect dresses to display at the Distinguished Women Award Gala,” stated Signature Events Director Jen Carpenter. “The result was a gorgeous display that attendees said added an impressive and memorable dimension to year’s Distinguished Women Award programming.”
Burtch, a senior from St. Charles, Michigan, is studying fashion marketing and management. As a student presenter at last year’s Distinguished Women Awards Gala, Burtch knows the remarkable impact Distinguished Women Award recipients have on students as role models and mentors.
“I wanted to show people that these stunning pieces are more than just dresses. They represent the incredible women’s journey to where they are today,” Burtch stated. “Northwood’s Distinguished Women Awards Gala is by far my favorite event. Nothing makes me happier than empowering women and recognizing their outstanding contributions to the world. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to display these gowns.”
Burtch is particularly grateful to Pamella Roland DeVos, a 2007 Distinguished Women Award recipient who allowed Northwood to showcase six dresses from her signature collection of couture designs.
“This generous loan meant the world to me, as Pamella Roland is a very renowned designer whose dresses have been worn by celebrity A-listers like Angelina Jolie, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Lily Collins, Eva Longoria, and Madonna,” Burtch explained. “She was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the Kendall College of Art and Design named its fashion studies program ‘The Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion.”
Since 1970, the Northwood University Distinguished Women Awards have honored individuals who value free enterprise, hard work, determination, creativity, and a passion for making the world a better place. These traits reflect the core values of Northwood’s guiding philosophy, The Northwood Idea. Proceeds from the Distinguished Women Awards program benefit Northwood University students through scholarships.
This year’s Distinguished Women Award recipients were honored during the Distinguished Women Awards Gala on Oct. 26, 2024, at The H Hotel in Midland, Michigan. Honorees included:
- Anne Hathaway, President & CEO of Hathaway Strategies, a grassroots public affairs firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana;
- Sharon Johnson, a resident of Southfield, Michigan, who serves as Executive Director of Operations at the Piston Group, which builds world-class assemblies for top manufacturers and includes Piston Automotive, the world’s largest value add assembly supplier;
- Mary Kissel, a Dallas, Texas resident who serves as Executive Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor for Stephens, Inc., a family-owned financial services firm that specializes in investment banking, asset and wealth management, and public finance, and operates in locations across the U.S. and Europe;
- Diane R. Maher, President & Chief Strategy Officer for DP Fox Ventures, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based diversified management company with interests in real estate, transportation, fashion, sports, and entertainment, and President & Chief Operating Officer of Fox Motor Group, a retail automotive and powersports group representing 43 locations and 49 brands; and
- Ann McBrien, a Hilton Head Island, South Carolina resident, served as former Vice President with CBD Global Healthcare of Procter and Gamble and founded AM Marketing & Sales Concepts.
“The impact these honorees, and the ones who have come before them, have on students like me is invaluable and immeasurable,” said Burtch, who currently is being mentored by one of the inaugural Distinguished Women Award recipients, Nancy Barker of Midland. The pair plan to catalogue, preserve, and curate the growing collection of dresses that have been loaned to Northwood University, to ensure these important historical garments are carefully maintained for future generations.
For more information about the Distinguished Women Awards, including a list of past Distinguished Women Award recipients, visit https://www.northwood.edu/advancement/signature-events/distinguished-women-awards/.
